About the course

Ark Teacher Training gives you a firm foundation in how to teach Geography for secondary school students. Over the year you will have regular sessions focused not just on how to be a great teacher but how to be a great Geography teacher.

Over the training course we will cover how to plan Geography lessons for a range of year groups, how to assess geographical work, how to inspire pupils through the world around them, and help them to understand their local geography. We will also cover how to teach pupils skills unique to Geography such as map skills, geographical questioning, and fieldwork techniques.

Interview process

Once you've checked that you're eligible, you can either submit your application directly through the UCAS portal or use our ‘Apply Now’ form, which is available on our website. We will then assess your application and let you know whether or not you meet our programme criteria. Applicants who meet our criteria will be sent two online tests to complete: a situational judgement assessment and a subject knowledge test.

Successful applicants after this stage will proceed to the final school-based assessment. Our team will use the information we have about you to match you to one of our training schools, and this final stage will take place there. It will involve you teaching a short lesson as well as a final interview with senior staff and subject lead. We’ll let you know the outcome shortly after this date, and will ask you to complete your UCAS form if not already so we can finalise our decision through the UCAS portal.

How school placements work

Your training school will be matched to your particular profile as a candidate, while taking into account your commuting distance and funding/subject preferences (and availability on our programme).

The training programme is 100% school-based, but you will come out of school to spend a half day every week in a session with your Ark tutor and other trainees from the network.

You’ll also obtain experience in different schools throughout the year; you’ll have a contrasting school placement lasting 2 weeks, in a school very different to your own, and which you will have significant input into choosing (for example, it might be a PRU, an independent school, etc). You’ll also get to participate in a series of visits to a range of educational settings.

Salary

For a full overview of the funding available on Ark Teacher Training, please see our website's funding page.

On the salaried route, you will be paid a salary on the unqualified teacher payscale - usually trainees are paid at point 1. The amount varies depending on the Ark region you will be training in (London or outside).

Your school will also pay your £9,000 tuition fee

If your preference is for the salaried route but you could in fact afford to train on the School Direct (tuition fee) route, we'd recommend you apply for the non-salaried route. Our places get taken up very quickly, but our schools tend to have more School Direct places available than they do on the SD Salaried route so your options remain wider if you can train on the non-salaried route.

Let us know at point of application and we’ll check with you again in the interview if you’re shortlisted.

Financial support

Financial support isn’t available for this course because it comes with a salary.

If you choose a course without a salary, you may be eligible for financial support while you study, including bursaries, scholarships and loans.

Requirements

Qualifications

Certain entry requirements for teacher training are set by the government and all applicants must comply.

Others are specific to a training provider, and we have listed ours below.

Ark Teacher Training requirements:

a 2:2 degree or higher

good A-levels (B+ in 2 or more)

either your degree or an A-level in the subject you wish to train in (for subject knowledge purposes / your readiness to start!)

Personal qualities

Our applicants have a huge variety of experience between them, all of which can be used in the classroom.

However, there are some qualities we know all successful trainees have, regardless of their background or experience; we look for these at assessment:

Alignment with Ark’s values and ethos

Some experience with young people (doesn't have to be in a school)

Great communication skills

Resilience (teaching is hard!)

Curiosity and eagerness to learn

Self-awareness and keenness to hear/act on feedback (you'll receive a lot on our programme, every week!)

Other requirements

There's a lot to think about when you make the decision to train as a teacher: it's an intensive year, but on Ark Teacher Training you'll be well-supported and have plenty of time with your fellow trainees for moral support every week.

If you have questions about areas not covered in this search tool so far, our website covers a lot of specific information on our programme. Check out our 'Frequently Asked Questions' if you can't find what you're looking for!

We work in low income areas with a history of academic underachievement, striving for the best outcomes for all our pupils, regardless of their background. According to the Department for Education, Ark makes the biggest difference in transforming the lives of disadvantaged students out of all the major school groups.

Classroom teaching: from day one, you’ll be in the classroom so you can have an impact straight away. Your tutor and coach will support you to build up your independent teaching time during the year.

School orientation experience: before your course starts, spend time in your school meeting your new colleagues and interacting with pupils so you can hit the ground running in September.

Summer School: all new trainees come together over two weeks in August for an introduction to the programme, our schools and the principles of great teaching. You’ll also cover the essential elements of behaviour management, ready for day one.

Weekly coaching and co-planning: every week you'll be observed by your in-school coach, so they can offer you both positive feedback and bite-sized improvement targets.

Your trained coach will help you to create effective lessons, developing your planning skills and giving you the opportunity to ask detailed subject -knowledge questions.

Training with disabilities and other needs

Disabled access

We want to make sure that our training programme is open to everybody, so if you have a disability we will make every reasonable adjustment to accommodate you throughout the recruitment process, as well as during the training programme if you are offered a place.

Please provide us with details if you would like us to make any adjustments for you on the assessment day. This will in no way affect the outcome of your application.

Whenever we build new schools, we ensure they have wheelchair access to classrooms. However, when an existing school joins the network, we have to work with the existing buildings and these can sometimes have limited accessibility.

Study Facilities

While your PGCE qualification is accredited by Goldsmiths, University of London, you won’t have to go there to attend lectures or seminars; the majority of your training sessions will take place in one of our schools or at Ark's central office. However, you will still have access to the online journals, library facilities and student support services provided by Goldsmiths.

Support and advice

Get support and advice about teaching

Register with Get into Teaching, the Department for Education’s free support and advice service, for personalised guidance from teaching experts. They can help you to prepare your application, book school experience, and access exclusive teaching events. You can also call them free on 0800 389 2500, or speak to an adviser using their online chat service, from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday.

Website support

If you have feedback or have had a problem using Find postgraduate teacher training you can contact us by email.

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For personalised support and advice about teacher training, register with Get into Teaching.
You can also call them free on 0800 389 2500, or speak to an adviser using their online chat service,
from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday.